Process and apparatus for making artificial teeth



Feb. 11, 1969 GIUSEPPE BIAN CHINI v PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING ARTIFICIAL TEETH Filed Nov. 1. 1963 RI 3 mm n mmgm u m: mm w .l 1% 39m Q\ M MW v 11 if L L S i L United States Patent 3,426,416 PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING ARTIFICIAL TEETH Giuseppe Bianchini, Vicolo Pomodoro No. 13, Verona, Italy Filed Nov. 1, 1963, Ser. No. 320,671 Claims priority, application Italy, Nov. 3, 1962,

21,981/ 62 US. Cl. 29-160.6 8 Claims Int. Cl. Hb 3/00; H01c 1/02 This invention relates to a process and apparatus for the anatomical stamping out of the heads of pivot or pin components suitable for re-constituting teeth, constructed with jacket crowns and similar shapes for laboratory research work.

Dental plates are known for the application of artificial teeth, which are normally immovable when seat in a bone-like fitting.

It has also been proposed to set teeth on a pin. The improvement in accordance with the present invention concerns the process for forming the tooth head or top which connects with the pivot, as a support element of the artificial teeth. Such a process makes it possible not only to provide an immovable top relatively to its support pin but also to form an anatomically correct top by the use of a punch cooperating with a counter punch designed and constructed for that purpose.

Therefore, the present invention makes it possible to form the head or top with an angular orientation of its axis, relatively to the orientation of the axis of the support pin and therefore relatively to the root belonging to the Patient. It will therefore be possible, even if the root has anomalies in location, to adapt the inclination of the axis of the top to the inclination of the axis of the root of the natural tooth or at least to adjust it for purposes of appearance with regard to the alignment of the teeth.

The invention will be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows a cylinder from which a tooth blank is formed,

FIG. 2a is an elevation of the tooth blank,

FIG. 2b is a part section of an alternative tooth blank,

FIG. 3 is a section of the tooth blank mounted in a counter punch with associated punch,

FIG. 4 is a section of the parts of FIG. 3 in the closed position,

FIG. 5a is a side elevation, and

FIG. 5b is a front elevation of a punch formed tooth,

FIGS. 6a, 6b and 6c show teeth punched with alternative inclinations and FIG. 6d is a plan view of a punched tooth.

FIG. 1 shows a cylinder of suitable material having a high strength, from which, according to sections a-B there is hollowed out mechanically a piece shown in FIG. 2a and formed of the following components: a truncated conical pivot 1 carrying below the groove 2 and connected at its upper end with a projecting collar 3 and an upper head 4 of frusto conical formation.

FIG. 3 shows at the top a counter punch, hollow and preferably cylindrical, within the cavity of which a core 6 having slightly conical outer surfaces is introduced under pressure; the lower end of the core carries a frusto conical member, the shape of which matches that of the parts 1, 2 and 3 of the piece shown in FIG. 2a.

The core 6 comprises a seat 8 within which may be rotated an eccentric 9 hinged on a transverse pivot 10 located in a seat formed in the two members forming the counter punch, namely, the core 6 and the hollow cylinder 5.

By operating the handle 11 the eccentric may be employed to extract the pins 1, 2., 3 of the said piece shown in FIG. 2a when the operation of stamping out the head has been effected as will be described hereinafter.

In the lower part of FIG. 3 is shown the punch 12 which has on its upper surface 13 a cavity 14 formed according to the shape of the tooth which will be located at a suitable incline, according to the anatomical requirements of the subject as being the most suitable for the good execution of the work.

When the initial portion of the head 4 is introduced into the cavity 14 and, the counter punch being guided in a vertical direction relatively to the punch 12, 13, the head 4 of the piece is forced into the cavity 14 in the direction of the arrows F until the lower surface of the counter punch comes into contact with the surface 13 of the punch as shown in FIG. 4

By operating the lever 11 the piece 1, 2, 3, 4, which is shaped by the seat in the counter punch, by which the pin 1, 2, 3, is gripped, is readily removed from its shaping seat 14 in the punch.

The operation carried out in this fashion results in high precision in the formation of the heads and their supporting pins, providing a corresponding position of their axes relatively to the already mentioned requirements but it must be added that at present, with the technological possibilities offered by micro fusion it is easy to change both the punch and the counter punch by adapting them to the requirements of the technology of fusion or of metals or for example also for any thermoplastic material, thus obtaining satisfactory results as well. The said technical operations are known and within the scope of everybody skilled in the art and easily executed whereby also the operation of fusion of the pin head members must be considered as comming within the scope of the process forming the object of the present invention.

FIGS. 5a and 5b respectively show the side and front of a component pieces produced according to the described process, the head 4 of which is covered, with the interposition of cementing material 15, by a coat 16 of an enamel-like substance.

FIGS. 6a, 6b, 60 show side views of a three component piece formed according to various required anatomical inclinations.

They show the vertices can be removed from their respective heads 4 according to the process of the invention; for example with axis y-y of the pin the tip is disposed forwardly at 17 in FIG. 6a or disposed thereon as shown in 17' in FIG. 6b or held as shown in 17" in FIG. 6c.

In particular the component piece shown in FIG. 60 is provided at the bottom with an engaging lug 18 shown also in the plan view in FIG. 6d which serves as a stop if it is necessary to avoid any rotation of the tooth relatively to its own axis y-y. FIG. 2b shows in part cross section a variation of construction of the component shown in FIG. 2a wherein the head 4' with the collar 3' is screwed on the support pin 1' which then is hollowed out by turning. The heads of the components shown are formed according to the process described any may be hollowed out in the course of the preparatory work in the laboratory so as to have readily available means to produce intermediate elements to be located among elements of the type stated in the described process for the purpose of completing dentures having an immobile bridge.

Similar preliminary work on such components of synthetic resin as is already known per se may be carried out in conjunction with the invention and can be performed with the use of a punch and counter punch for the formation of heads as set forth in the above description.

What I claim is:

1. In a process of making artificial teeth, the steps of forming a moldable projecting member having a pin portion, forming a cavity having the shape of an artificial tooth in a punch, attaching said pin portion to a counter punch, inserting said projecting member into said cavity, pressing said counter punch against said punch until said projecting member fills said cavity and assumes the shape of said artificial tooth, and then withdrawing the artificial tooth thus produced from said cavity.

2. The process in accordance with claim 1, wherein the moldable projecting member and the pin portion are formed of separate parts and are then firmly interconnected.

3. The process in accordance with claim 1, comprising the further step of cementing a coating to said artificial tooth, said coating covering the outer surfaces of said artificial tooth.

4. The process in accordance with claim 1, comprising the further step of forming a lug at the bottom of said artificial tooth.

5. In an apparatus for making artificial teeth, a tooth forming moldable member having a frusto conical body and a pin connected to the wider end of said frusto conical body.

6. A tooth forming member in accordance with claim 5, wherein said frusto conical body has a cavity with inner screw threads, said pin having outer screw threads meshing with said inner screw threads.

7. In an apparatus for making artificial teeth, a counter punch, a member having a pin carried by said counter punch and a tooth forming moldable piece connected with said pin and projecting outwardly from said counter punch, and a punch having a cavity adapted to receive said tooth forming piece, said cavity having the shape of an artificial tooth.

8. An apparatus in accordance with claim 7, further comprising an eccenter carried by said counter punch and engaging said pin.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 891,600 6/1908 Davis 3213 999,366 8/1911 Gilmore 29-1606 1,761,312 6/1930 Richardson 29-1606 2,237,350 4/1941 Hollman 32-13 THOMAS H. EAGER, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A PROCESS OF MAKING ARTIFICIAL TEETH, THE STEPS OF FORMING A MOLDABLE PROJECTING MEMBER HAVING A PIN PORTION, FORMING A CAVITY HAVING THE SHAPE OF AN ARTIFICIAL TOOTH IN A PUNCH, ATTACHING SAID PIN PORTION TO A COUNTER PUNCH, INSERTING SAID PROJECTING MEMBER INTO SAID CAVITY, PRESSING SAID COUNTER PUNCH AGAINST SAID PUNCH UNTIL SAID PROJECTING MEMBER FILLS SAID CAVITY AND ASSUMES 